Bigelow Furniture Co Damged By Smoke, Fire-This Day in Norwood History-July 14, 1905

At about 4 o’clock last Tuesday morning J. E. Hartshorn, the milkman, while on his route saw a large volume of smoke issuing from the Norwood Cooperative store on Day Street No fire was evident, but smoke was pouring in dense clouds from the transom over the door. He at once started for Box 45 at the corner of Washington and Walpole streets shouting “Fire.” In the meantime, Mrs. Benjamin Osgood of Day Street noticed the smoke and immediately awakened her husband. Mr. Osgood was soon on his way to Box 45. Mr. Hartshorn was at the box but could not open it so Mr. Osgood ran down to Norwood Square and there rung in Box 34.

The fire by this time had gained good headway although flame was “only visible at the rear of the building. The department was soon at the scene and lines of hose were laid from the hydrants on Day Street and at the corner of Washington and Walpole Streets. It was discovered that the fire was confined mostly to the basement and two lines of hose were at once put into action, one at the front and one at the rear of the store.

A large crowd gathered about the store and many of the men volunteered their services. The fire had burned a hole in the floor of the store under the office and the immense ice chest, which the day before had been filled with a ton of ice, tottered and fell as the floor caved in, letting the office down into the cellar. The door was soon broken in and through the smoke, fire could be seen creeping up to the ceiling and into the back room of the Bigelow Furniture Co.’s store. Smoke at once filled this room and came out through the windows. It was, however, shut off from the front store by iron doors, so no damage could be done in that part. The rear door of the grocery store was soon opened and the fire was checked in short order.

At 5.10 o’clock, the all-out whistle was blown. The stock of the grocery store is practically a total loss with the exception of what was in a small refrigerator and a large quantity of kerosene oil and gasolene which was in the cellar and which escaped through a miracle. The hungry firemen, when they had finished their work had a lunch of roasted eggs, pineapples, and pickles which they found undamaged.

The loss of the Bigelow Furniture Co., is very small it being for the most part caused by smoke. Considerable damage was done to the building. The grocery store was more or less charred all over and in the centre of the floor where the office stood, the floor and ceiling were all burned away. In the corner next to the stairs that lead up to the furniture store, the fire burned clear through the partition and the floor above. The entire stock of the Cooperative store was destroyed, the loss being about $3,000. The insurance on this was $2,500.

The tenement adjoining the grocery store was damaged only by smoke and water. It had just teen painted and was soon to be occupied by a private banking concern. The way the firemen handled the fire and confined it to one tenement is deserving of great merit. George Boyden and Frank Readel were cut about the hands by falling glass and as far as could be learned, these were the only two firemen injured. The building will be repaired as soon as possible and will again be occupied by the Norwood Co-operative Association as formerly. Until then, the association will conduct business in one-half of the adjoining tenement. Insurance adjusters were here Thursday and awarded damages satisfactory to all concerned. The award amounted to something like $5,000.

(All articles were originally published in the Norwood Messenger unless otherwise noted)